The Warmth of a Guardian
by StarflightIluminada
Summary: A new game is plugged into Litwak's arcade one summer. It's name is Mystic Defenders, a one and two player game in which two siblings work together to keep back the greedy darkness. Mila, the female protagonist, walks a path that is not taken by many characters. (Also contains OCxCanon)
1. Chapter 1

**Awakening**

As soon as Mystic Defenders was plugged in on July 11, 2013, one line ran through Mila's mind, "I must...defend the world."

Her blue eyes instantly snapped opened and she held out her hand on instinct. From her hand, blue flames sparked and formed a silver archer's bow from her hands. She grabbed onto the bow firmly. Mila looked to her right and saw a young man standing by her side. He had short black hair like hers, but had amber eyes. His clothes were identical to hers but were blood-red instead of bright blue. He wielded a silver sword that glistened in whatever light pierced through the canopy.

"Chafu? Ready to defend the world?" Mila asked.

"Always, Mila." Chafu answered, looking straight into the darkness with his amber-colored eyes.

Then Mila and Chafu ran right into the shadows with their weapons glowing fiercely. Dark claws and fangs reached out to grab and rip the flesh of the two siblings. Each shot arrows pierced the skin of a shadow creature, and the sword sliced through the body of another. They both worked together as the shadow creatures dropped faster than flies in a fog of bug spray. Numbers by the tens and hundreds appeared wherever the shadows fell: 50, 70, 100, 20, 250 were among the numbers that appeared then disappeared after a few heartbeats. Soon, the shadow creatures were gone and the remaining beasts retreated deeper into the forest.

"Well done, my apprentices." A deep masculine voice complimented from behind.

Mila and Chafu turned around simultaneously. A majestic liger, a feline hybrid of both lion and tiger, stood before them. His black mane and stripes almost made him disappear into the background, if it weren't for his bright white fur. One eye of his was amber and the other blue, just like his apprentices.

"Kalmin..." Mila murmured under her breath. She knew who he was right from the start.

Kalmin paced towards them slowly, "I am too old to fight the shadows to fight for the safety of our world. You must defend this world from the shadows. It is your destiny."

Red and blue fiery words shone upon the screen of the game console. They shouted, "Mystic Defenders." Under the title, was text that disappeared and reappeared, prompting passerbies to insert two quarters to play. Some children played the game that day, and also pretending to be the two siblings defending the world from enveloping in everlasting darkness. Whenever a child would smile ear to ear whenever a level was beat, Mila would slightly look back. She was rather confused, and so was her brother and liger mentor. However, she let herself become under control of the players. The childrens' smiles were what stuck to Mila's mind until a girl called out from her game that night.

"The coast is clear! The arcade is closed!"

Mila has been in a fighting stance for the longest and stretched her arms in a tired manner. "So...Now what?" She called from her screen with a shaky voice.

"You get to relax and enjoy the night! Just be careful not to die outside your game! And just go through the tunnel!" A blue spiked creature called from another game.

"Why?" Kalmin asked.

"Because if you die outside your game, you don't regenerate! It'll be game over for you!"

Mila remembered her first death. It wasn't pleasant but at least she knew she would start breathing again, "I think we should all go together."

Chafu and Kalmin nodded in agreement. They started looking for a tunnel and they soon found it. It did look intimidating, as it looked like a huge mouth of a shadow beast, waiting for its prey to swallow them whole. Kalmin was the first to step forward. He let out a courageous and fierce roar and it echoed through the tunnel. Nothing seemed to stir in the darkness until a spark of light ignited in the center of the tunnel's mouth. A whirlpool of blue and red fire appeared, sprinkling stars that disappeared when they came so close to the ground.

Chafu took hold of Mila's hand, "Don't worry, sister. I won't let anything happen to you."

She took a deep breath and nodded. Whenever her brother was near, she knew that she would be safe, and so did he. Together, they would break through any wall and face the fiercest of monsters. At the same time, the trio walked through the tunnel. In the blink of an eye, white covered their vision in a blur. Mila held on tighter to Chafu's hand, holding onto the hope that they would all make it out safe and sound.

Mila could hear a variety of noises: beeps, clicks, and buzzes as her vision cleared. A variety of characters of all kinds, shapes, sizes, and colors bustled with energy. She took another step forward and she suddenly heard a loud buzzing noise. In a small flash of blue light, a man made of blue electricity about a couple few feet shorter than Mila appeared. At that same moment, Chafu almost stumbled back and Kalmin snarled.

"Name please." He said.

Mila and Chafu exchanged glances. Chafu just shrugged his shoulders and Kalmin raised an eyebrow.

"Miss. Name."

Mila summoned her courage, "My name is Mila. This is my brother, Chafu. The liger's name is Kalmin and he's our mentor. Um...we're new around here. Where are we?"

The blue man fixed his glasses, "I see. You are now in Game Central Station. Every night, the arcade closes and everybody gets to relax. Your game just got plugged in and I had to make sure I got all your names. Now where are you all going?"

"Uh..." Mila looked around Game Central Station, and her eyes laid upon one of the identical tunnels, "Tappers."

"Anything to declare?" The surge protector asked again.

"Have a good night?"

"Ok then. Proceed. Remember: if you die outside your game, you don't regenerate." He disappeared in a small flash of blue light.

Kalmin asked, "Tappers? What kind of name is that?"

Mila shrugs her shoulders, "I don't know but the name happened to catch my eye..."

And so they headed towards the tunnel with red digital letters above it, labeling it "Tappers."

The trio then entered the game and found themselves in a root beer bar. Several characters, often in pairs or triplets, sat on the chairs that were placed on each side of long wooden tables. A small bartender served the characters root beer quite quickly. He noticed the newcomers and quickly walked up to them.

"Welcome to my game. Name's Tapper." He said.

Mila looked down and narrowed her eyes at him, "Isn't that the name of this game?"

"Yes, miss, it is." Tapper was slightly shaken by her glare, "New in the arcade, eh?"

Chafu happily said, "Yeah. Our game, Mystic Defenders, just got plugged in. I'm Chafu. My sister's name is Mila, and this is Kalmin." He gestured towards each of them whenever he mentioned their names.

"Why don't you go and have a chat with some of our guests here?" Tappers asked.

"Sure!" Chafu said as he headed towards some muscular characters from a fighting game.

Kalmin lightly pushed his head on Mila's leg, "It'll be ok, Mila. Just say 'hello.'"

Mila didn't want to go to Tapper's in the first place. She just happened to go there to give the surge protector an answer. She wanted to leave, but she didn't want to ruin her first night out of her game.

"You can go with Chafu. I'll just..." Mila looked around and saw a stack of newspapers placed on the floor near the restrooms, "Read some newspapers. Maybe I could plan out what game we'll go to tomorrow night."

Mila picked up a newspaper. It was from another game, but it didn't matter to her. Kalmin reluctantly joined Chafu, who were having a good time chatting with the burly fighters. The liger sensed that Mila was a bit uncomfortable around characters, but he couldn't blame her. He exchanged some words with the characters and they all looked at Mila and waved. Mila gave a small smile and waved back. They returned to their conversation while Mila sat on an empty seat and opened the newspaper.

"BAD GUY SAVES ARCADE!" A headline shouted out to her.

"...Bad guy?" Mila whispered.

She looked at the picture of the "bad guy." He Idid/I look like a bad guy, towering nine feet tall and fists bigger than his own head, according to the caption of his picture. A small girl was right next to him, with black hair sprinkled with pieces of candy. They were putting their fists together in a friendly fist bump. Very confused why somebody programmed to be evil would save the entire arcade, she read the article. She found out his name, Wreck-It Ralph. The article was badly written however. Frustrated, Mila threw down the newspaper, unknowingly setting one page alit. Soon all the newspapers were on fire!

"Fire! There's a fire!" A character shouted.

Panic erupted from the game as all the characters sprung up from their seats and raced to the exit.

"Mila! What did you do?!" Kalmin panickally roared.

"It was an accident! I didn't mean for this to happen!" She yelled back.

Luckily, Tapper was prepared. Using a fire extinguisher that was programmed into the game, he put out the fire quickly and easily. The panic subsided and everybody eventually settled down. Mila looked onto the shock-stricken faces of the characters and then to her hands.

"What have I done…" Mila murmured to herself. She looked to Tapper when she felt his eyes looking at her.

"Mila, I'd think you'd better stay and apologize." Tapper advised Mila as she looked at the damaged floor and wall, "I'll get Felix to fix all this."

Mila blankly stared at the burnt walls and floor. She snapped out of her trance and stood on the seat she was sitting on, "Everybody! I have to say…I'm sorry. My fires went out of control and caused all this damage. I'm sorry for ruining your night... "

All the characters were listening. While some gave her forgiving looks, some scorned at her. Mila's weak smile turned into a frown as she settled in her seat. As she brushed her hair behind her ear with her right hand, she thought of what she had done. Fire can be warm and welcoming but a very dangerous force to be reckoned with...just like her.

Chafu and Kalmin kept their eyes at her, but she kept hers looking down at her hands. She balled them up into fists as tears almost started to form. She felt her brother come close. Just when he was about to wrap his arms around her in a warm hug, she got up and walked to the exit, fearing that her warmth would become hideous heat. By accident, she walked into a smaller character. He had a blue cap and blue repairman clothes. He also had a golden hammer that shined with magic. Having fallen on his bottom, the small man got up and brushed the dust off his pants.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you there." Mila quickly apologized.

"No worries, ma'm. I'm fine. I just got news from Tappers that somebody accidentally caused a fire. I can fix it!" He said showing his hammer with a bling.

Realizing that he was talking about her, she ran past him. She didn't want to hurt him, or anybody for that matter. She kept running, dodging for other passerbies, until she finally entered her game. She ran on the dirt road and took a turn to the open fields. Mila looked back at where she ran from. Memories of her putting many characters in grave danger filled her mind. Her hands were soon alit with flames. Mila had to force herself to calm the flames she ignited. A teardrop fell from her cheek as she made a vow to herself. She vowed to isolate herself from other characters until she learned how to control her feelings and powers.

"I just want to protect them. It's in my code to protect the world, even from myself." She said to herself.

Just then she heard something run towards the dark forest, followed by a voice that yelled, "Hey wait up! You don't know what's in there!"

Mila, with zero hesitation, ran towards the unfamiliar voice. She made her silver bow appear from her flames and gripped it tightly. She must defend her world, it's in her code. Blinded by determination, she tackled a huge character. Taken surprise, the nine-foot giant fell under Mila's power. He held up his huge hands in fear as soon as he met with the fiery blue eyes of Mila, who had an arrow ready to shoot pointed straight at him.

"Leave now! You shouldn't be here!" Mila growled.

"I need to get Vanellope out of here first before I go anywhere else, hothead!" He answered through gritted teeth, "Now get out of my way!"

She heard a roar followed by a scream from the forest.

"Vanellope!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Ready For Change?**

The sound of a fight grew louder quickly.

"Thank goodness they didn't go deeper." Mila thought. The ground opened up to a rather small cliff but still dropped about a good twenty feet below her.

A familiar voice shouted, "Keep your dirty jaws away from her!"

Mila looked down below. The 9-foot giant was holding the snout of a crocodile-shaped shadow beast. It's jaws opened wide with each of it's jaws in the grasp of the giant. A little black-haired girl stood with her back against the stone cliff, with hazel eyes wide with fear. Mila recognized them from the picture she saw in the newspaper.

"I can't believe it...Wreck-It Ralph?" She muttered.

Two more shadow beasts, one in the shape of a giant wolf and the other as a lion, came out from the dark bushes. Savagely, the opened their jaws and let out their roars. Mila raced down and drew a silver arrow that appeared from her flames within. She released the arrow and it punctured the eye of the lion. It roared in agony, trying to break the silver arrow with it's corrupt paw. Ralph was surprised to see Mila's sudden appearance, and the shadow crocodile tackled him down. Mila kicked the shadow crocodile in it's belly, making it turn on her.

"I'll distract them! Get away from here while you can!" She shouted.

Ralph immediately grabbed his small raven-haired friend with one hand and started climbing up the cliff with the other. While she was shooting arrows, Mila looked back to them. As soon as Ralph got over the cliff, more beasts broke out from the bushes with teeth and claws bared. Every second, the beasts tore into her body while she was fighting with all the strength she could muster even with her own bare hands. Some went past Mila and started climbing over the cliff, hungry for blood.

Her vision started getting blurry as she noticed some big rocks that were ready to stumble down the cliff. Tearing away from the black claws and with her last ounce of strength, she pushed a rock. Soon, all the rocks started tumbling. Shrieking and roaring in agony, the shadowy horde retreated while some met their rocky demise. With a smile of satisfaction, Mila closed her eyes and accepted her death.

Blue flames swirled around her broken body and disappeared under the rocks. She opened her eyes as soon as the regenerating flames disappeared. She heard loud footsteps. As soon as Ralph, with the small girl on his shoulder, Mila toppled him over with a powerful sweep of her leg. The nine-foot giant fell on his face and his small companion fell from his shoulders onto the soft green grass.

Mila shouted furiously as she drew back another arrow, "Get out of here! It's too dangerous! Get out, NOW!"

"MILA! That's no way you should treat our guests. You should know better than that." A roar sounded behind her. Mila turned around to see Kalmin wearing a face that wasn't happy at all. He gestured towards the duo, "However they shouldn't have ventured off into the forest like that. They surely would've gotten themselves killed."

"It was my fault. I got on a little sugar rush there. I'm sorry." The little girl guiltily said while raising a four-fingered hand.

Kalmin rested his muzzle on her head, "All that matters now is that you're safe."

Mila gruffly turned her back on the trio and started checking the border for any darkness.

"Those fools…They don't know what it's like to be a defender…" Mila growled through gritted teeth. She felt a huge hand rest on her shoulder. She swiftly turned back and raised her arrow again.

"Whoa, hothead!" Ralph exclaimed, "I just wanted to thank you for saving us!"

"My name's Mila, not hothead!"

"You should also apologize to him. You did attack him." Kalmin suggested as he padded up to her side and laid his paw on her tense arm.

An awkward silence hung between them. For what seemed to be a whole hour, was actually one minute. Mila took a deep breath as she lowered her arrow, "I'm sorry for attacking you…twice, Wreck-It Ralph."

"How did you know my name?" He interrupted. His friend had a similar confused face as his.

"Your face is practically all over the newspaper, and for the record, defending is in my code so don't think about running into that damned forest."

Kalmin looked up to the screen of Mystic Defenders. The sky was pitch black with a few twinkling stars as their game was plugged right next to the door.

"You two can stay here in our game for the night if you wish." Kalmin suggested.

"Nah. I should take Vanellope back to her game." Ralph said as he picked up his friend by her teal-colored hood.

"Vanellope…So that's her name." Mila thought to herself.

"But I'm not sleepy…" Vanellope couldn't hold back a yawn.

Ralph chuckled as he laid her on his shoulder, "Yes you are, President Fart Feathers." He walked towards the tunnel.

Mila couldn't help but smile at their bond. Ralph was a gentle giant and Vanellope cuteness made their friendship possibly the most pleasant thing to her yet. Kalmin yawned, breaking the silence when Ralph's bulky form disappeared in the tunnel. He padded towards a small den that was placed not so far from the entrance. Mila never noticed the den with its floor covered with leaves and sheltered with strong brown trunks. Kalmin laid himself down.

"Chafu will be here soon, Mila. He just needed to help Felix out back in Tappers." Kalmin said as he closed his eyes.

Mila couldn't sleep when she knew her brother were still out of their game. Mila found a comfortable spot for herself. She had to shift her body to make herself feel at home. It wasn't the most comfortable place to rest but she did not mind. What mattered was that she would defending the world she was born in and worlds beyond. Mila tried keeping her eyes open through the night, waiting for her brother's return, but in thirty minutes, tiredness made her give in to sleep. Her slumber did not ease her mind.

She slept well that night after she felt her brother's presence. Mila's dreams were rather pleasant and of finally controlling herself and having a swell time outside her game. However, she still vowed to isolate herself from everybody fearing that she will only hurt them. Not only she would be happy, they would be safe from herself as well. Light from the glass door of Litwak's arcade filtered into Mystic Defenders. A paw prodded her side, waking her up.

"Ok ok. I'm up." She said to Kalmin.

Thoughts swirled around her head as she strolled to a small stream. She splashed water onto her face to wake herself up.

"Good morning, Mila." Chafu cheerfully said as he knelt near her, "Ready for another day of defending the world?"

Mila looked up from her soaked hands. "Yes I am." She replied blankly.

He noticed her blank look and flat tone, "Are you ok?"

She shook it off, "Nothing. I just need to get used to the program."

That day their game was played by many children. Seeing the smiles of the players, especially the young ones, made Mila warm up with content. She felt at peace whenever she saw a child wearing a smile. A bittersweet sensation grew in the young defender, as she cannot interact with them, not knowing what would happen, but at the same time not hurting them. Shaking off her feelings for the young players, she let the program and players control her.

That night, the arcade closed and as soon as Mr. Litwak locked the doors, a dancer would let everybody know that the arcade's closed. That signaled the second day of all characters in Mystic Defenders. Two days and yet they have so much to explore in the arcade. The only one who wasn't willing to explore to the far corners of Game Central Station was Mila.

"Chafu…? Can I talk with you...alone?" Mila asked shyly.

"Sure." He nodded to Kalmin and he walked away from the siblings.

Chafu and Mila walked to a small field of grass. She sat down and he layed next to her. They both looked at the bright cheery sky. Gathering her courage, she asked him a question that she couldn't bear the thought of asking it.

"How can you control your flames?" The young defender asked.

Her brother replied, "Just relax. It's a no-brainer really and just think positive!"

"And that's it? Just relax?"

He let out a sigh, "Yeah. You'll stay cool as long you're cool."

"How come you're always cool-headed while I'm the hothead?"

Chafu opened one eye to look at his sister sitting next to him, with her gaze looking out. "I think you're at war with yourself. You're too tense. I know we've been plugged in for not even a week but you're still sticking to the program. It's not good for your health, you know, to stay isolated."

Mila picked at some grass, "You really think I can go out there…again? But what if I hurt anybody or even kill somebody or-"

"You're overthinking this, trust me. Do you think they'll push you away? No. They've been asking where've you been even after you almost burnt down Tapper. You're not the only one. It's not the first time an accident happened."

"Really?" Mila said, covering a patch of dirt with the grass she picked on.

Chafu got up and held out a hand to her, "Come on. The night's young. We'll be there. It'll be fun, trust me!"

Mila looked up to him. A whole minute passed as she thought of the consequences of stepping out of her game. "They'll be there, and he's right. I can conceal my powers. I just have to hold myself from showing it…" She thought.

Chafu and Mila their liger mentor at the entrance of Mystic Defenders. They went through the fiery whirlpool and found themselves at the entrance of Game Central Station. Mila did not move as the others moved ahead. She stopped when she was only a couple steps closer to fun.

"I'm so close…Is it worth it? Should I stay…home?" Mila thought looked back at the portal that can take her home. Shaking her head and turning back to freedom wearing a determined expression on her face, she said aloud, "No. Here I go."

Gathering her courage, she stepped into Game Central Station. Those steps alone opened her eyes at last to the freedom. She couldn't help but let out a small squeal of joy from her mouth when she finally got a taste of freedom.

"I can't believe I did it!" She shouted aloud. Some characters looked at her and raised their eyebrows, if they had any. She shied back a bit, still containing her excitement.

"Whoa there, Mila! Don't waste your energy jumping to sky high here! There's so much to explore!" Chafu waved as he treaded back to Mila.

"Was I really that far behind?" Mila said with a slight chuckle in her voice.

"Yeah. I thought you headed back home for a second there!" He replied.

Mila punched him in the shoulder lightly and playfully, "What are we waiting for? Come on!"

The trio started their exhilarating night outside their game. However, they weren't so sure where to go, as all of them wanted to go to every game. Impossible as it was to explore the entire arcade under four hours, they settled for the game that was placed only two plugs to the right of Mystic Defenders. Above it's tunnel spelled out it's name, Hero's Duty.

"Sounds kinda like our game eh, Mila?" Chafu said.

Mila laughed, "Yeah! Looks like we got some competition! Race ya!" Without even a hint of hesitation, she ran towards the monorail train and as soon as she stepped into the train, the doors closed shut. She beat the rest of her group. Mila blew a teasing raspberry at them as the train started to move.

"Ha! Beat them!" She shouted in the empty train triumphantly, "I'll get first-hands on the wonderful experience of Hero's Duty!"

However, wonderful wasn't the word to describe Hero's Duty. A tall blonde woman, clad in black armor, lead a half-dozen army of nine-foot tall men in similar material she wore. All of them were equipped with guns that would disintegrate anything into ashes.

"We are humanity's last hope. Our mission? Destroy all Cy-Bugs! You ready, rookie? Let's find out!" Their leader said.

A heartbeat after she finished her monologue, the doors opened to a destructive apocalypse. Green mist and particles polluted the air as hordes armored black and green bugs, big enough to make one of the soldiers look miniscule, flew through the air freely. Mila jumped out of the train gleefully and without even realizing it, she stumbled onto the ravaged landscape.

"WHOA! What're you doing here?!" The woman yelled.

One of the monstrous bugs locked eyes with Mila. With a fierce ear-piercing screech, it flew towards her, green wings flapping rapidly. The leader raised her gun to shoot at it, but she found that the gun was jammed!

"KOHUT!" Upon realizing this she instantly commanded, "Light the beacon and make sure NO Cy-Bug escapes!"

Not willing to die, Mila grabbed one of it's legs. It angrily screeched as she started to melt it's leg. Before she could attack the bug beast's underside, it flew not back to it's homeland but towards the other end of the tunnel. Buzzing and yelling flooded Mila's ears as she shut her eyes, hanging on to the bug's leg for dear life.

Soon, she felt impact as they both crashed into a wall. Mila found herself laying on the ground, vision blurred, hearing the panicked screams of characters, hands with no weapon, and her breathing started turning into wheezing. Determined to defend the characters, she got up and faced the monstrous-sized bug. It let out another fierce screech when it turned to her. All of Mila's programmed courage went out the window. For the first time, she felt so miniscule, so helpless, so pathetic. She wanted to run but her legs stood frozen to the ground. Instantly the Cy-Bug began to throw down its face onto Mila, and she reflexively put up her hands and let out a scream.

Mila opened her eyes after two heartbeats. She was surprised she wasn't dead. She saw a familiar face fighting the monster bug. It was Wreck-It Ralph! After wrestling with the bug for only about two breaths, he smashed it's body against the wall. With a mechanical whirr, the monster went limp and it's face was nothing but broken shards. Mila's vision grew blurry as her breathing started getting slower. With a wheezing cough, she collapsed onto the floor. Her body shuddered from the tainted air she breathed in. She felt Ralph's huge arms lift her up amazingly carefully. She tried fighting back, willing to go back to her game to regenerate by herself, but her muscles screamed in pain to her. She heard Chafu's horrified scream and Kalmin's lamenting roar. Letting out a feeble wail, she lost conscious.

Last thing she heard was, "Don't worry. You're gonna be fine. I promise…"


	3. Chapter 3

To Spark a Warming Flame

Weakly Mila whispered as she stirred, "Where am I?"

"Safe and sound in your game." A familiar voice said. Mila looked to her side, and saw Wreck-It Ralph sitting next to her. Both of them were just outside the den.

"My game?" Mila shot up, ignoring the pain from her still-healing bruises, facing Ralph, "No! Why did you bring me here? I need to make sure everybody's fine!"

"You weren't so fine!"

"I had everything under control! I could've killed that beast myself!"

"With what weapon?"

"Oh yeah and you didn't need any weapon to kill it!"

That took a Ralph a bit back. "My hands are like weapons…"

"No wonder they call you Wreck-It Ralph. You wrecked my plan!"

"Plan? Plan to fight, with you standing as if you've froze!" Ralph got up angrily as Mila narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth, "Look, hothead. I just saved your life, and you must have a short circuit in your head to go into Hero's Duty!"

Mila got up and started walking towards the tunnel.

"Oh no you don't! You need rest, missy! You're lucky you only got hurt!" Ralph got in her way and she stopped in her tracks.

"I told you…name's Mila!" She tried going around him only to be stopped again. After a couple attempts, Mila stomped her foot and let out an angered grunt. "Would you move already?! I need to make sure everybody's fine!"

"Everything's fine, civilian. I found just a few scrapes and bruises. What matters most is that everybody's fine." Somebody else said. The black armored woman from the game where Mila caused trouble in walked up to the duo, "Name's Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun. You can just call me Calhoun."

Mila clutched her sides, feeling pain and shutting her eyes tightly. Her wounds haven't fully healed. Calhoun laid a hand on her shoulder.

"At ease, civilian. Wreck-It's right. You should get some rest. All Cy-Bugs know is eat, kill, and multiply." Calhoun advised.

"I'm no civilian! My name's Mila! It is my job to make sure the world is safe!"

Kalmin approached them, coming from the tunnel with Chafu, "She's right, Mila. For the rest of the night, you should stay here and rest until all your wounds are healed."

Mila reluctantly laid down in the bed, her face looking away from everybody else. Everybody else talked but Mila blocked out their words. She gripped leaves and burnt what she had in hand. Soon, everybody left. Kalmin and Chafu laid next to Mila, huddling close to her. Their tired eyes closed, except Mila's.

"I have to defend the world, even from myself."

"That's no way you should treat our guests."

"Those fools…They don't know what it's like to be a defender…"

"I can take care of myself."

"You should know better than that."

Mila turned to look out her game's window to the outside world. She let out a soft sigh. She slowly got up, careful not to wake anybody. Thankfully, her body was fully healed and all her bruises disappeared.

"Kalmin's right…" She thought to herself as she tip-toed to the tunnel and went through the portal again. Soon enough, she found herself at the entrance of Game Central Station. It was darker than usual and nothing seemed to stir.

She could see Ralph from afar. He was talking to Calhoun. Their conversation seemed rather friendly and light-hearted. She patted him on the back and thanked him. She walked to her game and Ralph went in another direction. Mila stealthily followed the nine-foot giant to another game. Instead of a long path like her game's cord, there was a small blue monorail train. Ralph walked up to it and Mila began summoning her courage.

Mila thought, "It's not too late…"

She ran with light feet up to Ralph. He noticed her when he was trying to fit himself into the train. An awkward silence laid upon them, and an hour seemed to pass by but was only two minutes.

Mila cleared her throat. "Hey…" She hesitantly said, "Thanks for saving me…I'm sorry…I was too harsh on you."

Ralph smiled as he reached out a finger. He slightly ruffled her hair, "It's nothing. Besides, I owed you one when you saved Vanellope and I, even when I got burnt a bit."

Mila blushed in embarrassment, "I thought you were going to..."

"Wreck your game? Nah...I may be a professional wrecker, but I'm not a bad guy, even though I'm programmed to be a bad guy."

Mila obviously confused, tried changing the subject, "I've wrecked many beasts. You couldn't take out yourself."

"It was nothing compared to a building." He tried hiding his own embarrassment with modesty.

Seeing this as a challenge, Mila said, "Oh yeah? Impress me. We'll meet at the entrance of my game right after the arcade closes."

"I can miss a Bad Anon meeting. Ok, Mila. Meet you then."

Mila held out her hand, "Promise?"

"I promise." Ralph gently shook her hand with his fingers.

Mila waved goodbye when the monorail train started to move. When Ralph's huge form disappeared into the darkness, Mila ran back to her game. When she got back to the den, she laid down lightly. Her tired blue eyes soon closed in a matter of seconds, and a warm smile appeared on her face.

"Know I know better…"

The next morning, Mila jumped up to her feet from her slumber. Without any hesitation, she got into her starting position at the edge of the forest. She looked towards her fellow game friends getting ready for the arcade to open. Occasionally, they looked at her with surprised expressions. Mila flashed each of them a challenging look and refused to release her stored energy until the first quarters were put in Mystic Defenders. Throughout arcade hours, Mila's flames dominantly overpowered Chafu's as she was very excited with her planned night.

"He promised. I'll give him a challenge he'll never forget!" Mila thought as she finished off a shadow komodo dragon. She waited for the dancing girl to shout from her game as she gripped the handle of her bow until her knuckles turned white.

"Coast is clear! The arcade's closed!"

Mila immediately ran towards the portal, shouting her goodbyes to her coded family. Meanwhile, Ralph was just walking to the entrance. He saw her frantically looking around for him. He chuckled at her, amused by her excited reaction when she found him. She skidded to a stop in front of him.

"Good evening!" She said with a laugh, "I'm ready!" Mila chirped in happiness as she almost jumped around the nine-foot wrecker.

"Whoa! Slow down, hotshot! Zangief already set up the bonus stages in his game." Ralph said, smiling as she shot him a challenging stare.

"Ok. We'll see who's the better wrecker! I'm not backing down!"

"I won't either."

A few minutes later, Mila and Ralph got ready to take on all three of the bonus stages in Street Fighter Two. A car stood before them. A voice boomed over them counting down from five to one. Mila had her flaming silver bow and arrow in hand, with the tip of the bow burning brightly, while Ralph only had his bare fists.

"3…2…1…GO!"

Mila immediately released dozens of arrows at the car's side while Ralph punched the other side. Seeing how easy he was demolishing the vehicle, she gripped her weapon tighter. The car soon was a heap of burnt metal. Mila breathed heavily, beads of sweat forming from her forehead. Ralph put up his fists triumphantly.

"WRECK-IT RALPH WINS!" The PA voice announces.

Mila managed to say under her heavy breathing, "I'm just getting started."

The next round, they stood under a conveyor belt. The voice counted down to one again and barrels started falling from above. Mila shot each barrel, either making them explode or knocking them to the side. Ralph, however, had trouble destroying the barrels. One would fall on his head and then meet Mila's arrows. The one minute timer buzzed and no more barrels fell.

"MILA WINS!"

Mila out up her fists like Ralph did before and gave him a smirk. Ralph chuckled and rubbed his finger on her head lightly but not lightly enough to ruffle her hair into a mess. Mila looked at him with a confused expression. Wasn't he a bad guy?

"...I'm not a bad guy, even though I'm programmed to be a bad guy."

Mila made her weapon disappear with her magical flames. "How about if we call it a draw?" She suggested as she headed towards the tunnel.

"What?" Ralph was a bit surprised as he followed her, "But we only have one more round!"

Mila smiled as she fixed her hair, "You're a professional wrecker, remember?"

Ralph remembered what he said and rubbed the back of his neck shyly, "Yeah…I would've won in the third round."

Mila shook her head in amusement and clicked her tongue three times, "Buuut...I did beat you last round. That's why I called it a tie."

When they exited the game, they looked at each other. A dead silence in between them hung for two minutes.

Ralph decided to break it, "So...should we…?"

"I don't see why not. So, where do you want to go?"

"Well, I have to help Felix with the invitations."

Mila tilted her head to the side, "Felix? Invitations?"

Ralph started walking towards in another direction and Mila followed, "That's right. Your game just got plugged in. No biggie. I'm sure Felix'll fill you in."

They stopped at the tunnel where they promised that they'll meet for the wrecking challenge. Mila could see the monorail train better. She saw a familiar face painted on each end of the train. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Ralph struggling to fit himself into the train. Mila couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Ralph chuckled nervously and grunted as he finally fit into the small seat. Mila struggled not to laugh as she trotted over to the seat in front of Ralph. Mila sat down snugly and looked back at Ralph who was smiling sheepishly. The monorail train groaned and creaked until finally moving towards the end of the tunnel, making some electricity crackle beneath its wheels.

As soon as the train stopped, Mila's mouth gaped open wide. She has never seen such a simple yet pleasant-looking game in her life. A very tall building stood proudly in front of the screen. Small square-topped trees sprouted from the grass, dotted with blue lights. She got up from her seat and walked out onto the convenient platform. She looked up to the orange glowing clock, which displayed right over a red hanging sign.

"Fix-It Felix Jr." Mila mouthed, "And it's nine o'clock…"

"Is there something wrong, Mila?"

Mila looked back to see Ralph just finishing struggling himself free from the monorail train seat, "No…I feel fine. Come on. We should see um…"

"Felix."

"Right! Felix!" Mila said as she walked ahead of Ralph, curious of the new world she just stepped into.

Her triumphant march quickly slowed to a walk. A bridge built over a river stretched out before her. The bridge wasn't what she was worried about. It was the water. Peaceful to others' eyes but menacing to hers. She shut her eyes when she felt dizziness starting come over her. Mila took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and walked across the bridge. Ralph was already a few feet away from the other side. Halfway she sped up into a run, bumped into Ralph, and fell on her bottom. He held out his huge hand to her to help her up.

"Are you sure you're ok, Mila?" He asked.

Mila stood up and brushed the dust off her clothes, "Nothing. I just don't like water that much…"

"Don't worry. I won't let you drown. I promise."

Mila looked at him in surprise. Ralph had a warm smile on his face.

"He's so nice…We just met and he's treating me like how I should've treated from the start…" Mila thought. Her cheeks started to warm up just a bit.

"Thanks…" Mila finally managed to say, pushing down her cheeky warmth, "Let's go meet Felix."

Ralph nodded and led the way. Mila never met somebody so…pleasant. She felt warmth coming from her cheeks again. On top of that, her heart beating slightly faster than usual.

She grumbled through gritted teeth, "Focus, you dim flame!"


	4. Chapter 4

**An Arcade Wedding**

"Oh! There you are, Ralph!" A small man, about half of Mila's height, hopped over to Ralph and her quite quickly. Mila recognized him and he recognized her.

"You're that young lady from Tapper, am I right?" He asked.

"Y-yes. I am." Mila replied.

"I'm afraid we haven't formally introduced ourselves. My name's Fix-It Felix Jr. from the game Fix-It Felix Jr., ma'm!" Felix introduced himself, tipping his hat with one hand and holding his other gloved hand up to Mila.

Mila still remembered her first night in Tapper, but put it behind her and shook Felix's hand lightly, "Mila from Mystic Defenders. It's a pleasure to meet you, Felix."

"Right! We have to get these invitations to everybody!" Felix explained as he lead them to the first floor of the main building, "Tamora and I are getting married!" He pressed a button next to an elevator.

The name rung a bell in Mila's mind, coincidently when the elevator bell rung, "Are you talking about...Sergeant Calhoun from Hero's Duty?"

"Why yes! How did you know?" Felix let Mila in the elevator, "After you."

"Thank you..." Mila said as she stepped in, "I...got first-hand experience in her game...it didn't go that well."

"Lucky that I was there to save you, am I right?" Ralph said as he squeezed himself into the elevator, as it was a bit small for his size.

Mila grunted, trying to make herself comfortable, "Yes...Thank you..."

Felix said as he stepped inside the already crowded elevator, "So that's why I heard a lot of racket yesterday..."

Mila managed to squeak from her stuffed corner, "Are you sure this can hold all of us?"

"Sure it can!" Felix cheered as he pressed a numbered button.

The elevator's doors closed and Mila felt the pull of gravity as it ascended a couple floors upward. Mila felt uncomfortable, especially with the stench of bricks coming from Ralph. Felix decided to lighten the mood.

"Tammy and I have been planning ahead of time, and in a couple days, we'll be a happily married couple." He said.

"That sounds...sweet." Mila managed to say.

The doors opened and Felix got out first. Mila struggled herself free while Ralph struggled too.

"Don't squish me, Brickbreath!"

"Get off my leg, Hothead!"

"Well don't blame me if I become a doormat!"

"I won't crush you!"

Both of them yelped when they finally freed themselves and shut their eyes to brace themselves. Ralph almost landed on top of Mila, who landed on her back in her own fright. They opened their eyes. Ralph tried not to resist at least chuckling at their awkward position. Mila, on the other hand, was not amused at all even with her cheeks starting to warm up. She pushed his wide chest with her relatively small hands.

"Get off, Brickhead! Your breath is practically making my face melt!" Mila grunted as she got up.

Felix chuckled along with Ralph, "I'm sure he didn't mean to do that on purpose!"

Mila got up and fixed her clothes and hair, "Sure sure…Are we gonna help you out with invitations or what?"

"Of course, ma'm! Follow me!" Felix said as he opened another door.

Mila had to duck a bit to avoid hurting herself as she entered a new room. A rather small party room opened before her with a small bar. At the other end of the room, there was a small balcony where the arcade can be seen through the screen. Small people, even shorter than Felix, busied themselves with papers. Amazed by the comforting simplicity of the bustling room, Mila almost slipped as she stepped on glass steps. To her left, small sacks holding white and blue laced envelopes on a small table. Felix walked right over to the table with Ralph following. Mila followed too when she regained her balance.

"Just take these letters and deliver them to each character from each game!" Felix cheerfully said.

"And what you will be doing?" Mila questioned.

"We'll be preparing the building for our honeymoon! Good luck!"

And with saying that, Felix hopped away cheerfully and soon busying himself with helping lift boxes of decorations. Mila and Ralph picked up two bags for each of them and walked out the door. She pressed the lowest button and the doors opened with a ding. Ralph let Mila in but she didn't. Instead, she let him into the elevator.

"Let's not stumble, ok? I don't want to be squashed." Mila said as she followed Ralph and let the doors close.

Ralph chuckled nervously as he felt gravity pull on him, "Uh, right. Sorry about that."

Mila stood quiet during the whole trip down. She was focused on the bag of letters she held in her hand.

_"This wedding's sure a big deal...I should also bring Chafu and the others along. I'm sure Ralph and Felix would get along with them just fine." _Mila thought as the elevator rung again with a ding as the doors opened.

The wrecker and defender left the building and walked in silence towards the friendly monorail train. The train creaked while it struggled to move with both their weights, but managed to move somewhat smoothly towards the other end of the tunnel. While in the dark middle of the tunnel, Mila flicked a small blue flame on her finger, being careful not to burn the invitations. Mila looked at it, remembering the beauty and danger of the baby fire. Even against her will, it can grow and hungrily eat anything it can latch on.

Mila quickly grabbed the flame into her palm, making it disappear, when the light grew bigger and revealed the still-bustling Game Central Station. Mila picked up her bag and started walking towards the gateway. She looked back to see Ralph struggling and rolled her eyes in amusement. She jogged lightly to Ralph when he almost fell over as he pried himself free.

"Come on. We got some invitations to pass out." Mila chuckled as she walked again to the gateway.

Mila almost yelped when she heard loud buzzing as she passed through the gateway. The surge protector popped out of nowhere in a small flash of blue electrical light. Ralph made a very audible annoyed groan.

"Random security check, please step aside miss."

"Oh…" Mila said as she stepped aside. It only took a moment to remember what to do, "My name's Mila…I'm from the game Mystic Defenders." She looked up at the red letters that titled the plug, "I'm coming from Fix-It Felix Jr. to deliver invitations."

"For security purposes, I must check your bag." He said, and pointing his pen at Ralph who was right behind Mila, "And his."

Mila nodded and set the bag down. Ralph set his down with an annoyed grunt. She took notice of this and shot him a look with narrowed eyes. Ralph lowered his eyebrows in a grumpy frown at Mila when he felt her gaze.

"Ok. You can proceed now." The surge protector said after thoroughly checking each bag.

Just before he zipped away, Mila stopped him and grabbed a random envelope from her bag, "Wait! Mr. Protector!" She handed him the invitation, "I'd thought you can take some time off…"

The surge protector blinked in surprise, and hesitantly took the invitation. Clearing his throat he said, "Thanks, miss. Proceed." He zipped away in a flash of blue light.

"Are you sure about inviting _him?"_

Mila replied, "Um...I think I'm pretty sure. I think he deserves some time off...I guess..."

Ralph shrugs, "If he starts 'randomly' checking everybody, don't say I'm at fault."

Mila rolled her eyes, "Let's just deliver these invitations already. I'll go to the plugs this side, and you'll go to the ones on the other?"

Ralph answered again with a shrug, "Sure."

He walked towards the other side while Mila walked to her left. After delivering the invitations to the inhabitants of another game, she went to her home game. She never knew she was so close to Felix's game. Thinking about the cheery blue-capped handyman and the tough-as-nails soldier woman as a couple made her smile in a warm content.

Mila thought to herself as she walked to her game's tunnel, _"I'm sure they'll enjoy it. It's the least I can do for Felix and Calhoun after interrupting their jobs."_

_The Next Day_

"Mila, I think you're going a bit overboard on this." Chafu shouted as he came down from the plateau, wearing a handsome black and red suit.

"Aw come on! It's Felix and Calhoun's big day!" Mila called as she fixed her hair into a pretty French braid and looked into the creek's reflection.

"But the invitation didn't say anything about wearing fancy clothes!" Chafu jogged up to his sister while Kalmin padded beside them, wearing a pendant.

Mila stood up. "I'm sure it was a mistake to leave that out. It's a wedding — a very special occasion!"

"Ok, but if we're the odd ones out and you feel embarrassed, don't say I'm to blame!"

"Don't worry about it! What can go wrong?" Mila said as she spun slightly around to show off her crystal blue dress that reached down to her ankles.

Things didn't kick off well in Mila's point of view. As she walked to take a seat in the chapel's aisles, she noticed that characters were looking at her and the rest of her coded family. The characters that moved from them were all in their regularly coded appearances with no dresses, suits, or at least bows.

"I told you." Chafu whispered behind her.

Mila's face turned a slight hue of red red as she uncomfortably sat on one of the long brown wooden benches. Behind her were more benches as well as in front of her. Characters of various sizes, shapes, and colors sat on them. All of them were whispering to each other in an excited manner. Chafu decided to strike up a conversation with a character from a fighting game. Kalmin looked at the orange stained glass that shone. Mila's heart beat fast as she looked around her as she noticed some characters looking at her as they whispered to their friends.

"Are they talking about me?" Mila whispered to herself.

She decided to do avert her attention to the altar of the chapel to take her ease her mind. She couldn't help but smile at a little girl's pink and white dress that was definitely too puffy for her. The black-haired girl looked familiar...

"Vanellope?" Mila whispered.

Her gaze then followed to another familiar face. Nine feet tall, barefoot, ruffled rusty brown hair, and...wearing a suit? Mila was awkwardly surprised to see Wreck-It Ralph wearing a formal black and white suit. He looked entirely different than from their last encounter.

"Wow….that's him? _The _Wreck-It Ralph?" Mila almost said loudly.

Chafu noticed Mila's comment on Ralph's appearance. He slightly nudged her shoulder. "He actually looks good in that suit."

"Like I didn't noticed." She almost hissed through her teeth and stood up from her seat.. The female defender sat back on her seat, gazing at the orange and yellow tinted glass, and then sighed, "Sorry..."

In the chapel, Fix-It Felix Jr. walked down the aisle and joined the priest. Like Ralph, Felix wore a suit too. Mila couldn't help but feel jealous of Felix. He did quite look charming, but she was aware that she's too late and his heart now belongs to another woman. Then everybody looked towards the entrance of the chapel when an electric guitar started playing "Here Comes the Bride."

Calhoun stood there, in a beautiful white sparkling wedding dress. Mila's mouth gaped open. She looked nothing like the black-armored soldier woman she encountered. Her mouth was still open while the bride walked down the aisle. Mila has never seen such an odd couple, but they were surprisingly sweet together. The soldiers from her left raised their guns at the stained glass, making red dots appear on it. Felix and Calhoun said their vows before the priest and all to hear.

Felix threw his hat behind him and and took his wife into his arms. They both kissed and the light from the stained glass seemed to brighten as if in enlighting joy.

Mila couldn't help but jump from her seat and cheer. Her cheerful shouts echoed around the chapel for a short time until other characters joined in. Even the poised soldiers who didn't lower their guns still shouted in joy for the newlyweds. Mila could've sworn she heard somebody drunkily shout, "Happy birthday!" but she didn't care. She sighed in sheer happiness for the couple. She also saw Ralph shed some silent joyful tears and giggled to see such a giant get teary eyed for a wedding. Felix and Calhoun walked back to the entrance of the chapel as the cheering roared on.

_"Maybe..." _Mila thought as she brushed her hair behind her ear as she looked around the male characters, _"Maybe one day I'll find...the one."_ Then she thought of Ralph. She pushed that thought aside, _"No...Mabye not him. Maybe? Get your head out of the clouds, fluff-brain!"_

**A/N: The term "fluff-brain" is actually a word I use to describe people who are dumb. Also, I want to thank everybody who's loving this fanfic so far. I really appreciate your support through favoriting and writing reviews.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Continuation of the Celebration**

Mila joined the departing crowd as the newlyweds exited the chapel. They entered a decorated tunnel and soon stepped out into Game Central Station. The young mystic defender had no idea where to go so she just stuck to the crowd. Soon, she found herself separated from her game family as another sound reached her. It was happy and very…foreign.

"S-U-G-A-R! Jump into your racing car, say SUGAR RUSH! SUGAR RUSH!" An invisible chorus sang. The crowd echoed the chorus but they didn't exactly sing like songbirds. Mila covered her ears in disgust.

An idea struck Mila, "If they can sing…maybe I can too…" Mila looked around to see if nobody was paying attention.

"Come down the highway, kakemeguru yo, open road, genki no gasoline." The chorus sung. Mila failed to resist restraining herself as the song repeated when she stepped into the colorful candy world.

"S-U-G-A-R! Jump into racing car, say SUGAR RUSH! SUGAR RUSH!" She sings even when her voice went sharp at the last note.

She kept on singing and humming the song even after the song ended and silence settled in. Followed the crowd, she entered a large white candy castle and then into a large decorated ballroom. Food and candy were placed on several long tables, and a large tall white cake with two small candy toys that looked like Felix and Calhoun. The crowd spread all around. Mila looked around for anybody from her home game. Mila sighed in relief as her coded family came into view. They all sat at a table with plates, forks, spoons, and glasses placed neatly.

Somebody knocked on a microphone, grabbing everybody's attention. A friendly voice spoke out, "Everybody? May I get your attention please?"

All voices quieted down and eyes averted to Fix-It Felix Jr., with his wife by his side. He continued after he cleared his throat, "I would like to thank you all for coming today! We never knew we would have so many characters coming. It has been about a year since we first met, Tammy and I, and boy it was the best time of our lives! It's only just the beginning! We thank President Vanellope Von Schweetz for arranging a ballroom for us and Wreck-It Ralph, for being my best man!"

Everybody cheered as the party started when music played. Characters mingled at tables and near the food. Mila realized that herself and her coded family were the only formally dressed guests. Taking deep breaths, she calmed down but noticed that her family was looking at her. Chafu laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Mila. There's nothing to worry about." He said calmly.

His sister nodded, looking out at the party, "This...this is a party..."

"Yeah...what's that smell?" He asked.

Simultaneously, they took a good sniff and said, "Candy." They both laughed.

Soon, they stroke up conversations with other characters. Chafu introduced his sister to his Street Fighter friends. Mila then thought about having that special somebody. She pushed the thought again aside as she continued a friendly conversation with Zangeif, one of Chafu's friends, about crushing objects.

"I crush hundreds skulls between my thighs." He said, putting a hand on one of this thighs proudly.

Mila chuckled nervously, "Yeah...I uh..." She looked at her hands. "I destroy um...many shadow creatures...with my arrows..." She folded her hands, knowing that her hands still can cause destruction.

"Ralph told me about your challenge. Very brave of you." Zangief complimented.

Mila looked around, a small blush forming on her cheeks. She still had to get used to company.

_"Just relax..."_ Mila reminded herself of her brother's advice.

She finally whispered after holding a silence, "Excuse me..." She got up from her seat and made her way towards the food table, avoiding stepping over smaller characters. She got to the table and looked over the candy.

"They look good..." Mila said, taking a small piece of milky white chocolate and eating it. Mila smiled warmly but her smile faded into a frown. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"My friends can wait. You matter more." Chafu said.

She held back tears that were forming in her eyes.

"You can let it all out." He pulled her in for a hug.

Mila's heart skipped a heartbeat to feel her heart with Chafu's. She couldn't hold back her tears. Holding him tighter, she buried her face into his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. I-I shouldn't have ru-"

"Shhhhh..." He whispered, "It's ok. You just need to relax. You just need to step out of your programming and be more than just Mystic Defender Mila."

Soft yet upbeat joyful music started to play. Vanellope's voice sounded through a microphone, "Ok ya'll. Get a partner and dance away the night...with romance!"

Mila and Chafu pushed away from each other saying together, "No no no no no!"

"He's my brother!" Mila shouted to the onlooking crowd.

"Whoever's gonna dance with her is lucky!" Chafu said. Male characters chuckled and Mila felt uncomfortable with their eyes on her. Chafu put an arm around her and continued, "But break her heart and I'll make you regret it!"

Some male characters flinched while some smiled at his bravery.

"Come on." Chafu whispered to Mila, "Show them what you can do."

"In this dress?!" Mila almost hissed, "I could burn it to ashes without even knowing it!"

"It's ok. I'll be here." He said as he walked to the sidelines, still looking out for his sister.

Mila took a deep breath and walked out onto the dance floor, with other characters following and already moving to the beat. Somebody else stood not so far from her.

"Ralph?" Mila almost shouted.

The wrecker turned to her, "Mila!"

"What are you doing here?"

"Just trying to find a dance partner..."

"Oh..." Mila looked up and down at Ralph. Surely her feet can get stepped on by his without any difficulty. "I can be your dance partner."

"Ok...I'll be very careful." Ralph said shakily.

Ralph's hands reached down and Mila took hold of them. His hands were rough and hers were smooth, but they joined together pretty well. They looked up to each other and chuckled at each other's awkwardness. Mila's feet shuffled to the music before Ralph can and he almost stumbled. Mila giggled.

"Ok. I'll take it slow, Brickbreath." Mila almost laughed.

Ralph got ahold of himself and tried making his posture as proper as his suit, "Very funny, Hothead."

They danced slower than a tortoise and their awkward dancing showed. Every about five seconds they would say "oops" or "sorry." The song finally ended and everybody clapped.

Mila breathed in relief, "That was...kinda fun actually."

"Yeah it was..." Ralph looked at Mila.

As soon as he felt his eyes on her, her cheeks turned a slight red and a smile formed on her face. Ralph put a hand behind his neck and laughed nervously, his cheeks turning slightly red too. They both turned when they heard Kalmin calling out Mila's name. Kalmin nodded at Ralph and smiled at Mila.

The cake was cut and then everybody had their slice. The party ended gradually and the yawning crowed exited the castle, with Vanellope waving at the entrance. Mila followed her game family, taking a glance back at the sugary game. She breathed in, taking in the sweet aroma, and then out.

"I have to come back someday..." Mila said as she caught up to her family, leaving behind Sugar Rush for the night.

"Mila?" Chafu asked.

"Yes?"

"How about we spend the night over in Sugar Rush tomorrow?"

"I'll be there. I promise."

"Just stay back in the game. I'll have a surprise!"

Mila raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"Don't worry. I'll be quick as an hare."

"I'll go with him to help." Kalmin said as the portal of their game came to view.

Mila slept soundly that night. This may be the start of a new perspective on her purpose.


	6. Chapter 6

**Not to Expect the Unexpected**

Mila enjoyed the rush of running free. Almost bounding off her light blue sneakers in sheer joy, she leapt out of her tunnel. Without even realizing it, she was running into Wreck-It Ralph, who was just passing by. At the last second, she skidded to a stop and lost her balance. She toppled over him as he lost balance from her sudden crash. Their noses met unintentionally when they opened their eyes. Their hearts almost skipped a beat and their cheeks turned a slight hue of red.

"Mila?" Ralph said.

"Ralph! I uh..." Mila got off him and brushed off her clothes. With surprise, she felt her cheeks warm up, _"Idiot! What are you doing?!"_

"Why are you so-"

"Excited?" Mila chuckled nervously, "Uh yeah of course I was excited why would I..." Her words trailed off as she noticed that Ralph wasn't there. She looked around, trying to find his humongous shape. She sighed in disappointment when she couldn't find him.

Mila shook her head, "I'm sure he had something else to do. Maybe something very important." The young lady looked at the titles of all the games, "Chafu promised to be not very far from the entrance...I made a promise...and I'm going to keep it!"

She rushed into the candy-coated game, exhilarated by the cheery song that greeted her. She soon found herself lost however. She didn't noticed how large the go-kart game really was. Tall thick candy cane trees towered over Mila. They shone and showed off their long, curvy white-and-hot pink trunks and branches.

"Chafu? Kalmin?...Um...hello?! Oh what was that word they used...Konichiwa?" Mila called out to the unknown.

Wandering aimlessly as she tried to get a grip on her sense of direction, Mila kept a sharp eye on even the slightest of movements. She was so focused on looking for movement that she didn't see the licorice candy rope right under her feet. The rope snared onto Mila's foot.

"Wha-?" She couldn't finish her sentence when she found herself swung up right from her feet. She hit her head on the soft candy ground for a second. When she opened her eyes again, everything was upside down.

"Great…Who in the name of the stars did this?!" Mila grunted as she tried reaching to untie the rope but she wasn't strong enough. She summoned her bow and aimed an arrow at the branch. Her concentration was broken when she heard a voice.

"It's really fun watching you from up here! It's like watching that weird movie about dreams and everything's upside down but really isn't!" It said.

Mila looked around, trying to find where the voice came from, "Who's there? Show yourself!"

She looked up to a tree from where she was hanging and saw a young boy. He wore a pumpkin-shaped hat that only let his brown bangs out. He wore an orange and black jacket with a white shirt patterned with three candy corn. He also wore black pants with a yellow and orange soft candy coating at the ends. He sat there with a smirk in his round face.

Mila groaned, unintentionally dropping her bow and arrow, "Let me guess, little boy...you were the one who set up this trap."

"It's not a trap. It's a prank. And the name's Gloyd Orangeboar."

"Fine fine. Whatever. Just let me get out of this 'prank.' I need to get to my family."

She heard him jump down next to her. She looked at Gloyd and balled her hands into fists when she saw that he held her weapon in his hands.

"H-hey! I need that you know!"

"How about this, hothead-"

"It's Mila! M-I-L-A!"

"Ok ok! Geez! I'll get you down from there if you help me out with a couple things."

"What kind of things?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Just a couple errands and chores here and there. No big deal, unless you want me to leave you hanging around...going once. Going twice."

"Fine!" Mila shouted, giving in.

With that, Gloyd hopped onto the branch that was tied with the rope. He untied the candy rope and Mila fell with a soft thump. She got up and grabbed her weapon. As soon as she made them disappear, she looked down at Gloyd.

"We'll need to get to the castle. Vanellope might kill me if I take too long."

Mila rolled her eyes, "Fine, but I really need to get to my family. Know where they are?"

"You mean your twin brother and the big cat? They're at the castle too! C'mon!" Gloyd ran ahead of Mila. Mila stood there, wondering if she could trust him or not. He looked back and called, "Well come on!"

Mila signed as she followed the pumpkin boy. He knew where to go and exactly what paths to take. It was his game after all.

"The castle's pretty far from here." Gloyd said, "I'll have to drive you there."

"Wait...drive? But you're so...little."

"Tiny but mighty mighty, girl on fire." He said as a rather odd-looking shape came to view, "There it is! Say hello The Kernel!"

True to its name, it _did_ look like a kernel, if one ignored parts of what made it a kart. In fact, it was entirely made of candy, from the orange and green wheels to the candy wrapper that stuck upwards in an angle from the back. Gloyd hopped into his kart and Mila walked up to it. Surprisingly, the kart reached up to Mila's chin from the bottom of the wheels up.

"You'll have to hang tight in the back. There isn't enough room to fit three racers. Besides, I'll stop if you fall back." Gloyd suggested with a cheeky smile.

Mila reluctantly got on the back of his kart and gripped tight to the solid candy and wrapped her legs around whatever part of the kart she could. Gloyd revved up his engine. Her fingers dug into the kart as it shot forward like a flying bullet. She couldn't speak as everything seemed to pass by in a blur.

"S-Slow down!" Mila managed to scream after a while. She felt her grip loosen.

"I'm already am! We're almost there." Gloyd shouted.

He was right. They were not so far from the castle. Mila sensed that something was not right. As soon as Gloyd parked his kart, Mila jumped from the kart and opened the doors without hesitation.

"Mila! Wait!" Gloyd shouted as he tried to catch up to her.

What she saw in the throne room surprised her. She saw Felix and Ralph unpacking boxes with the help of very short stiff-moving people and little colorful monsters. Chafu and Kalmin were also helping. As soon as he noticed her, Chafu put down the box he once carried and hurried to his sister.

"Mila! I-I'm so sorry."

"What's going on?"

"Mila…" Chafu put a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Ralph's game got unplugged."

"Unplugged?"

"It means that he...doesn't have a home...anymore."

Mila's heart stopped for a second. Without a home...he, and his other friends, cannot regenerate if they die. On top of that, their _home_ was taken away...against their will.

"No wonder Ralph didn't want to talk to me…" Mila whispered as she looked down.

That night, Vanellope allowed Mila, Chafu, and Kalmin to sleep in one of the many rooms of her castle. Mila tossed and turned in her sleep, thinking of Ralph. She woke for the fifth time and looked at the empty ceiling.

"I'm a defender of the world…" Mila whispered to herself, "If somebody dies under my watch...or Chafu and Kalmin's watch for that matter...then...what would we be worth? What would I be if I fail? Failure…" Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of failure.

"Hey...hey are you awake?" A familiar voice whispered.

Mila turned to see Gloyd without his hat and jacket, "Oh...it's you."

"I just wanted to see if you were ok. You seemed pretty shook up back there."

"No I wasn't...I just...something was in my eye."

"Yeah sure. You were crying a river when you helped me unpack Mary's cooking stuff." He rolled his eyes.

"Why? Why would you come to see...me?"

"Well, you're the first person to ever actually listen to me. You're listening to me now!"

"And that's why you're here?"

"Well...yeah. Everybody doesn't really listen to me. I'm programmed to be a prankster and sure I enjoy pulling pranks...but everybody seems to shun me and not even trust me and...not even listen."

"I see…" This saddened Mila. He did keep his promise. He brought her to her family and she helped him in return. She ihad/i to trust him to get to her family, even if she didn't know who he really was. But she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Good night, Gloyd…" She rested her head on her pillow. Then she felt something warm and small hug her. She saw Gloyd hugging her before he quietly ran out of the room. She fell asleep easily and couldn't keep the racer off her mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**Storytime**

"Story cutscene? What's that?"

"You get to know more about the characters, miss." Mr. Litwak said to a girl gamer. She was playing Mystic Defenders.

Mila and Chafu exchanged confused glances. They both looked at Kalmin. He was perplexed as well. None of them knew what their real story was. The player selected "story cutscene." Things blacked out for the defenders and liger. All their memory was erased. Each of them did not know where they were at first. Mila and Chafu woke up in a small room. Some scent was in the air. It was...delicious.

"Chafu! Mila! Morning meal is ready!" A woman's voice called.

"Coming mom!" Mila said.

Mila and Chafu raced down the stairs. Their mom, who had a striking resemblance to her daughter but had her son's eyes, served them a quick morning meal of eggs and buttered cornbread. She was also pregnant, with her belly swollen but holding life. As the siblings chowed down, a man who resembled his son but had his daughter's eyes came into the house with a deer he hunted.

"Good morning, father." Mila said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Ready to shoot some arrows?" He ruffled her hair.

"Yeah! I'll get mine's now!" She said as she ran back up to her room and grabbed her plain wooden arrow.

She joined her father. He shot an arrow from his own arrow and hit the target's very center. Mila released an arrow too but it flew into the forest.

"I missed." She said, disappointed.

"You tried. Now go get it." He said.

Mila walked into the forest, and soon found her arrow. She thought she had saw something white and black in the forest. Assuming it was an edible animal, she drew back her arrow and aimed at the rustling bushes. Out from the bushes came a majestic feline that was a hybrid of both lion and tiger. It looked at her without raising a clawed paw. She backed away from it, keeping an eye on the animal.

"Father! I saw a very big cat in the forest!"

"Oh really? Did it attack you?" His tone suddenly filled with concern.

"No. It just stared at me. Maybe it thought I was another animal." She laughs.

"Well, at least you're safe. Come on. Your mother's making noon meal."

Something roared behind them as they walked back to their house. As soon as they looked behind them, a wispy black horned bear stood up, baring its teeth and narrowing its hollow eyes.

"Mila! Get back to the village! Warn everybody!" Her father yelled.

Mila ran. She didn't look back. She felt her heart stop for a minute when she heard the breaking of bones, but she didn't look back. She ran to her house.

"Mom! Chafu! Shadow beast!" She screamed.

Her family wasn't the only one who heard her cries. Other families of her village stormed out of their houses. The men stayed behind and fought more shadow creatures and beasts, while the women took their children away from the village. However, they were not so lucky. Mila looked back as families were being torn by creatures. Mila, her mother, and Chafu managed to find shelter in an empty den in the forest. Mila put down her bow and arrow and Chafu laid down his beat-up sword. Her mother breathed more heavily than her children.

"Mom. Just rest. We'll defend you." Chafu said as he helped his mom lay down.

"Don't worry. All four of us will be ok. I won't let anybody or anything hurt my unborn brother." Mila nodded as she looked outside for any movement.

Night started to creep and Mila asleep, along with her brother who was keeping watch with her. Their mother only looked outside, relaxed by the darkness. She was ready. She knew her time was coming. She let out a silent breath and and closed her eyes for the last time. The next morning, Mila and Chafu tried waking her up, but she did not even stir. They knew that she and her unborn son no longer lived. They had to survive however. They took their weapons. Mila cried into her brother's shoulder as they walked out of the den, away from the remaining of their family.

"They're gone!" She almost screamed.

"I'm here..." Chafu said as he wrapped her arms around Mila.

The siblings traveled far but without direction. They just wanted to survive. One day, Mila got sick. Her walk weakened, and she dragged her weapon. Chafu stayed by her side and did all he could to find a cure. The same lion and tiger hybrid made its appearance when beads of sweat poured on Mila's face. Chafu readied his sword, ready to protect his sister.

"Be calm, Chafu. I am Kalmin, a liger — a hybrid of both tiger and lion. I will help your sister if you lower your sword." The white feline said.

"How should I trust a talking cat?" Chafu refused to lower his sword.

"Chafu...we'll have to trust him. I'm sure he'll find a way to heal me." Mila coughed, "Even if he sinks his teeth into my neck...He's not like the shadow beasts."

Chafu lowered his weapon. The presented an herb and told Chafu to give it to Mila. Chafu did so and Mila fell asleep. In her sleep, her sickness disappeared. Chafu was relieved when she was healed. Chafu and Mila trusted Kalmin and he took them in to be their mentor. He told them that he was sent from above to defeat the darkness that killed their family. His time on Earth isn't infinite and it is his duty to teach how to be a Mystic Defender. Kalmin blessed Mila and Chafu. They received the power of the flames and their weapons became a part of them. After many years of training, they moved to a den near a field that bordered a shadowy forest.

The scene ended and everything resumed as if nothing happened, except that the Mystic Defender siblings and Kalmin knew then what their story was.

Mila didn't have the spark that night. Her flames burned bright but within she had a dim flame. She couldn't keep not only Gloyd off her mind but Ralph and Felix as well. Sometimes she managed to get a glimpse of a worried Calhoun from her game. She couldn't blame her trying not to act abnormal in front of the members. In top of that, she never knew she and her brother had a family, and that they were orphans.

Sometimes she also managed to get a glimpse of the racers from Sugar Rush, but she barely saw Gloyd and The Kernel. Mila also noticed some children asking Mr. Litwak, the owner of his arcade, about Fix-It Felix Jr. She could make a few words out: "other characters," "not supposed to be there," "glitch," "wrong," "precautions," "suspicions" were among them. Otherwise, she either focused on defending the world or whether she failed as a defender or not.

The arcade closed but not in the way before that day. The arcade seemed a bit dimmer and colder, as if time slowed. Mila walked to the portal, with Kalmin and Chafu at her side. They felt her sadness as much as everybody felt hers and their own. Mila felt a bit more empty. She sat on the bench that was only a feet away from the entrance of her game.

"Chafu...Kalmin...can you please leave me alone...just for this night?" Mila said solemnly.

They both nodded and gave Mila some privacy. She looked at her hands. Her eyes watered. She buried her face in her hands, letting out her emotions. She felt something tug her pants. Mila looked down to see a familiar round face.

"Gloyd...just giv-" Mila's words cut off as he suddenly hugged her, like how he did it before, except he didn't run away. She started to feel whole again.

"C'mon, hothead. I may not be a doctor, but I know a cure for a sad face is a kart, candy, and a good race. What do you think?" Gloyd gave her a cheeky smile.

Mila nodded as she wiped her tears away, "I think that's a great idea."


	8. Chapter 8

**Candy Heart**

"This isn't exactly my idea of fun…" Mila said nervously as she fastened herself to the Kernel.

"Don't worry!" Gloyd said as he put on his hard orange helmet, "I'm one of the best racers in the whole arcade!"

"Your stats prove otherwise…" She grumbled, trying to hide her anxiety. She dropped a helmet that was given to her by the sugary pumpkin boy. Quickly, she put it on and summoned her bow and arrow.

The revving of many engines clouded Mila's thoughts. Her heart started to beat faster with every engine roar. She didn't know whether it was from anxiety or excitement. She noticed that other characters from outside games also fastened onto their sugary partner's kart at the starting line. Wreck-It Ralph was with Vanellope Von Schweetz, Fix-It Felix Jr. with Rancis Fluggerbutter, Sergeant Calhoun with Candlehead…A sudden buzz interrupted her thoughts! All the karts dashed forward without a second to waste! Gloyd put the pedal to the medal!

She recovered. "SLOW DOWN!" She screamed. Nearby racers were startled by her scream and nearly veered off the road, giving Gloyd the advantage.

"You should've been alert, hothead! And keep your voice down!" Gloyd shouted, "You can use your fire powers to help you know!"

Mila remembered she still had her weapon. She aimed it at Crumbelina Di Caramello's kart wheel and drew back her arrow. "Steady…now!" She released the arrow and it got caught in the kart. Crumbelina, along with her partner Mario, lost control and drove off the road.

"Not bad! Hang on tight! It's gonna get bumpy!" Gloyd said as the path rose to a slope. The road quickly cut off as the Kernel became airborne. Mila almost felt her body lift from the kart but quickly got back on as she found herself riding through a gorge.

"You might want to keep your hot head down!" He said as giant gumballs came down from both sides.

Mila started to feel dizzy from looking at the rolling oversized candy, "Oh stars...I'm gonna throw up."

"Focus, Mila! There's one coming right now!" Gloyd steered the kart to the left skillfully as a gumball rolled towards the duo.

Mila started to feel more queasy as he swerved more to avoid the gumballs. He even had to avoid the powerups from other racers _and_ make sure that Mila doesn't fall off the kart. Just when she thought she would lose conscious, she felt the kart rush right into the air like before. Mila snapped out of her trance as she felt the Kernel slam onto the road again. Instead of speeding ahead to second place, Gloyd slowed down and looked back at Mila.

She wiped sweat from her forehead, "I'm ok! C'mon! Uh...mush! Mush!"

Gloyd reluctantly sped forward towards a towering cake with a spiral path. The path became lined with frosting and cherries as they neared towards the cake.

"Light one and throw it back!" Gloyd said as he gestured at several racers and their partners catching up to them.

Mila reached at one of the cherries, with her hand alit with a blue flame. She accidently lit several instead of one.

"I said one!" Gloyd screamed as the cherry bombs exploded, making the path behind them collapse. He sped up his kart away from the destruction. The explosions started catching up.

"Wait!" Mila turned back and thrust her palms out from the back of the kart. She concentrated, focusing her thoughts. Suddenly, a flame burst from her hands! The Kernel zoomed up the path. Her excitement made the flame even bigger! Suddenly, both racer and defender found themselves thrown up into the air!

"WHOA!" Gloyd screamed.

His scream snapped Mila out of her thoughts and she unintentionally flicked her flame off like a switch. Her flames and his speed were enough to get them onto the ground however. Gloyd sped out of control, zigzagging around other racers.

"Hold on!" Mila shouted as she used her flames to propel the kart and help Gloyd regain control. They were faster than ever!

"What's this?! A blue jack-o-lantern speeds ahead towards second place!" The PA system's voice announced.

"Is that Gloyd Orangeboar?!" An astonished sugar rush racer called out.

Mila heard her brother say, "Hey! That's my sister!"

"I never seen anything like that!" A blue hedgehog named Sonic exclaimed.

Soon, Mila and Gloyd found themselves cruising along a ice cream covered road. Mila sighed, letting her arms drop at her sides.

"That...that was amazing! How did you do that?" Gloyd shouted above his kart's roaring.

Mila shouted back as she faced forward, "Fire's in my code! It's my power!"

"You should do that more often!" He gave her a cheeky smile.

Mila smiled back and she looked ahead at the frosty path. She closed her eyes and felt the wind brush against her skin. She let a big sigh, enjoying the rush of racing.

"Ok! I admit it. This is pretty fun!" She looked down at her friend, "You're fun."

"Aww shucks!" Gloyd blushed at Mila's compliment, "It's no biggie!"

Both of them went into a tunnel. The path dropped to a rather deep slope. They both cheered in joy as they rode down the slope. The zipped ahead, and soon the finish line was dead ahead! Ultimately, Mila and Gloyd won third place, with Ralph and Vanellope in second and Felix and Rancis in first. The crowds cheered loudly for all the winners. Mila and Gloyd were presented a bronze trophy. Together, they held it up proudly. The cheering still roared on as the crowd dispersed and every character went their own way. An hour later, and after going through hordes of cheery candy crowds, Mila and Gloyd relaxed near a cake-layered cliff with tall gumdrop trees.

"Man that was awesome! I haven't raced like that in so long!" Gloyd cheered.

Mila nodded, "It was...thanks..."

"No problem! Ready for another round?"

"Oh no. I had enough sugar for today." Mila laid back, gazing at the sky.

"Ok then...take this!" Gloyd playfully tackled Mila but she didn't budge. "Ha! Feeling it, fire girl?! Feeling all that rush coming back?" He grabbed onto Mila's sides as she got up. "Yeah I know you wouldn't fight back ya big hothead!" She smirked and walked towards the edge of the cliff.

Gloyd yelped, "Ok ok! You win! You win this round." Mila laughed as she let herself fall back. Both of them landed on the soft ground, and Mila playfully pinned Gloyd down. "Ah! She's here! The crazy candy witch is gonna eat me!" Gloyd playfully blocked Mila's soft taps. "I'll be the one to save the kingd-awwww!" Mila playfully nibbled on his clothes.

"Not this year, Orangeboar!" Mila laughed in a fake evil voice as she picked him up playfully, "You'll make a fine addition to my soup!"

They play wrestled for awhile. Mila let Gloyd win most of the time. Soon they grew tired of playing. Mila let Gloyd lay on her lap like a content cat while she sat. She never knew she would feel such happiness.

"You're not as bad as some other characters say." Gloyd said.

Mila took this a bit with surprise, "It's...about when Ralph and Vanellope went into my game right...?"

"Yeah. Your brother told us one time that you were just scared."

"Well...yeah. In a way, I was scared, and I guess fear makes us seem scary."

"Well you're not scary. In fact, you looked funny upside down."

Mila rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah..."

"What do you do in your game?" He asked curiously. "You know what I do in mine's so let's make it even."

Mila took a deep breath and pushed away her memories of her family. "Well..." She drew a small map of her home on the ground using her finger, "We defend whatever the light touches from my enemies...They are called shadow creatures." She drew some faces of hideous, deformed animals.

Then she drew her brother and herself, "It's my brother's and my responsibility to push back the creatures before they overpopulate..." Mila drew out rocks and rivers and other land formations, "Sometimes we use the land to our advantage...and even use what the players call 'power-ups.' Sometimes they make us faster...sometimes stronger...and they..." She grabbed the drawn shadow creatures' faces from the ground and burnt them to ashes in the palm of her hand, "Help us push away the darkness, thus defending the world."

"That...is awesome!"

"Yeah..." Mila yawned, "Oh stars..."

"I know where you can rest your hot head. Follow me!"

Mila followed Gloyd to a small candy corn house. It had black bats painted on its' walls, and Jack-O-Lanterns lined the perimeter. The house had a friendly vibe, but also mischievous as well. Gloyd opened a candy corn door, revealing a dark room with only Jack-O-Lanterns as a source of light. Mila stepped in after Gloyd. She yelped when felt something small and fuzzy drop on her back. She managed to get a fake fuzzy spider off her back.

"Heh heh. Sorry about that. Everybody seems to fall for that one." Gloyd chuckled as he led her up to a room on the second floor. Mila managed to dodge a fake flying bat on the way.

"It isn't much, but you can sleep in a sleeping bag I always keep in handy." He said as he dragged out an orange and white sleeping bag from his closet. "My bed's too small for you anyway."

Mila kept her silence as she snuggled in, surprised to find it big enough for her. She felt something soft and reached in deeper into the bag. She pulled out a small fake spider and gave Gloyd a quick unamused stare while she put it to the side. In response, he gave her a cheeky sheepish smile and ruffled her hair playfully.

"Usually, people would go all crazy on me the minute that first spider jumped on them. You're not so bad." He said as he hopped into his bed.

Mila looked down at her hands. She was a Mystic Defender after all. She would only hurt to protect. Otherwise she wouldn't raise a hand to strike the innocent. Gloyd was just a prankster. He didn't mean any real harm. Mila turned her back on him and tried forcing herself to sleep.

"Good night…" She murmured.

She felt Gloyd snuggle next to her. "G'night...I always wanted a sister…"

Mila felt something pang in her heart. She remembered her backstory...her unborn brother. A warm smile appeared on her face as a tear rolled down her cheek. She hugged the sugar racer closer as she closed her eyes to rest and her heart became full of warm love.


	9. Chapter 9

**The One?**

"This is what you do for fun?" Mila whispered, trying to suppress her childish giggling with a serious stare, "And where in the stars do you get all this?"

"It's in my code and I'm not telling _you_ where I keep everything I have." Gloyd smirked as he concealed his appearance underneath Ralph's humongous bed, "Ok. I'll give you the signal. You know what to do."

Mila quickly hid behind the cotton candy clothes and left the closet door wide open as she heard Ralph's usual heavy footsteps come near. She saw the nine-foot wrecker come near the door. Her heart almost skipped a beat, being near Ralph. Ralph noticed that the closet door was open and went to close it. Gloyd gave her a sudden thumbs up. Mila lit the firecrackers with her own fire and threw them at Ralph's feet. They crackled and popped, making Ralph stumble behind and bringing the candy door down with him. An unamused Mila came out of the closet, sticky with melted cotton candy.

"You're in a stickier situation." Ralph chuckled, giving Mila a humored grin.

Mila rolled her eyes and looked at Gloyd who was wearing a cheeky smile. She sighed, "That prank was more directed towards me, right?"

Gloyd laughed, "Nope! I just learned that cotton candy melts when it's near hotheads like you."

Mila rubbed her sticky fingers into Gloyd's hair in a slightly amused annoyance, "And now you learn what stickiness feels like."

Ralph took the prank light-heartedly. Vanellope had the guards fix the door and replace the damaged clothes, as she was irked by Gloyd's pranks. She also had the candy maids clean off Mila's clothes, even when she insisted that she could just get it off herself. It wasn't necessary anyway. Vanellope wanted to get back at Mila for ruining some of the clothes she prepared for Ralph.

Mila sat on a small bench in a hall waiting for the candy maids to bring her in and give her clothes. She embarrassingly wore only a long pink towel to conceal her exposed body. Her eyes were widened with fear that somebody would come by and see her. Luckily, the hall was quiet. She wrapped the towel around her as tight as she could. She heard heavy footsteps.

"Ralph." She gasped.

She got up from her seat and knocked on the door. The closer he got, the more frantic her banging became. She accidently brought down a fiery fist onto the door, just when Vanellope herself let Mila in! She almost stumbled but regained her balance to hide behind the wall to avoid Ralph.

"Hey! What has gotten int-" Vanellope's words were cut off when Mila put a hand over her mouth.

"Shhhh!" She hissed and listened for Ralph's footsteps. None were to be heard and Mila let out a relieved sigh as she uncovered Vanellope'mouth.

"I thought you were going insane there, hothead, and it was over Stinkbrain? He's been blabbering about you ever since you danced with him that day!" Vanellope's face turned from wide-eyed to a smug smirk, "You like him...do you?"

A slight blush came to her cheeks as she thought of that night, "No..."

"Ms. Mila!" A candy maid called as she presented Mila's clothes in neat condition, "Your clothes are ready."

"Thanks." Mila took her clothes and hurried to a private room to dress up.

Mila met Gloyd when she exited the castle. He had his parked kart ready to race. While he thought about racing, Mila thought about dating. She remembered her dance with him and that she wished to find...the one.

"Mila!" Gloyd called, "You're gonna watch me race?"

"Yeah..." She waved to her friend as he drove off.

Mila walked down the road, appreciating the sugary scenery. She could hear faint fanfare in the air. As she made her way closer to the starting line, roofed stands of various colors appeared. Small animate candy displayed shirts with the faces of each racer while some displayed scrumptious sweets that tempted Mila to take a bite. She took a small bag filled with candy corn that was generously offered by a candy civilian.

She took a seat in a stand exclusively for characters that were not native to Sugar Rush. She waved at Chafu and Kalmin, who noticed her appearance. Chafu gestured at Ralph, who looked lonely, much to Mila's surprise. The siblings exchanged glances and Mila decided to sit next to Ralph, much to Chafu's pleasure. Both didn't mind Mila spending time with the giant, as long as he wouldn't wreck her heart.

"Hi Ralph." She greeted as she seated next to him.

"Mila! What are you doing here?" Ralph gestured towards Chafu and Kalmin, "Aren't you gonna sit with them?"

"You looked kinda lonely and they don't mind at all. Besides, I think we got the best seats here." She looked towards the Sugar Rush racers and smiled to see Gloyd revving his engine.

Ralph chuckled nervously, "Lonely? I got Vanellope. She's my friend and then there's Felix and Calhoun and…" His words trailed off to sadness. "Yeah. Felix and Calhoun...they're good together. He's one lucky guy…The girl doesn't get the bad guy anyways..."

_"That's right...Nobody wanted to dance with him."_ Mila realized.

She gave him a small handful of candy corn as a friendly gesture. He carefully took a piece with his huge fingers and ate it. The wrecker smiled slightly as a small blush came to his cheeks. He then averted his attention to the starting line. The checkered flag swooped down as the wheels spun into life. The racers' karts shot into the distance, leaving only sugar dust behind. The cheering fans screamed in glee as the racers swerved in and out to take the lead. Mila and Ralph cheered on their friends as they watched the race on the big screen.

"Go get 'em Gloyd!" Mila cheered.

"C'mon, kid. Show 'em what you got!" Ralph shouted.

Skillfully, Vanellope and Gloyd weaved their way through the opposition, soon finding themselves neck-and-neck. Each of them grabbed a power-up in the gumball gorge. Vanellope acquired her signature power-up, which was her speedy glitching. Gloyd didn't obtain anything special, but got three sweet seeker missiles. Vanellope used her power-up immediately! She shot forward in flashes of blue light. Soon, Vanellope was climbing up the cake tower. The pumpkin racer saw that coming from miles away, however. He shot one missile and it soon caught up to Vanellope. The impact of the explosion sent Vanellope flying over the edge of the tower. Gloyd laughed as he drove up the sugary spiral tower and to first place. The race ended with Gloyd in first place and Vanellope in a quite close second, earning them both a place in the roster for the next day.

The minute her sugary friend zoomed past the finish line, Mila jumped gleefully from her seat. Other fans of the Halloween prankster roared with cheers and happy hollars, but Mila's cheers could be heard very distinctly. She then noticed how high she is from the ground, as she was focused on watching the race. Her thoughts turned into a muddled fog and her balance swayed slightly. Ralph noticed that she was about to fall forward onto other fans. Without hesitation, he grabbed her shoulder quickly but carefully. As soon as she felt Ralph's hand on her shoulder, a blush came to her cheeks.

He placed her next to him and asked, "You ok there, Mila?"

"Yeah..." Mila tried to stop her blushing, "Thanks, Ralph."

"No problem." He smiled as he blushed a bit.

Mila snapped out of her thoughts about the wrecker as she noticed Gloyd holding up the golden trophy. The young defender made her way through the candy crowd, making sure not to step on anybody. She lifted Gloyd onto her shoulder proudly. He smiled brightly as he held up his trophy higher as the crowd roared with cheers. Everybody then moved towards the back of the stands. Mila followed, unsure of what will happen next. Cheery music played as everything seemed to brighten. She managed to catch Ralph and Vanellope having a good time. Just seeing their friendship created a warm feeling in her heart.

"Hey, Gloyd. Why don't you go and have some..." Mila noticed that Gloyd was no longer perched on her shoulder, "Gloyd?" She looked around for her friend. "Gloyd, where are you?" Her voice almost cracked to anxiety. Her worried thoughts were interrupted by a raging scream.

"Gloyd Orangeboar! I will tear your code apart for this!" A young girl in pink whose face was plastered in green taffy chased Gloyd in the crowd.

"Your name's Taffyta so it looks even better on you!" He laughed as they zig-zagged through the festival.

Mila couldn't help but giggle at the chase. Gloyd jumped into his nearby parked kart and drove off into the distance. Taffyta stopped her pursuit and nearly threw a fit.

"Ugh! I've been working on my mascara for ages! That rotten cavity! No wonder he doesn't have any friends! All he does is ruin everything!" She screams loud enough for Mila to hear her voice like clear crystals.

Taffyta looked behind and then up to see Mila staring down at her from a fair distance. She was not afraid. "What're looking at?" She sneered as she wiped the taffy from her face.

"He _does_ have a friend." Mila growled, her muscles tensing as anger rose.

"Oh really? I feel _really_ sorry for whoever that friend is!"

Mila had to hold herself back from attacking the not so sweet racer. Her hands balled into fists, "Why you…" She released her anger into her voice, "If you were so sweet as the kart you drive in, then you would be friends with him!"

"Pffft! With _him_?! He doesn't care for friends! He doesn't _deserve_ a friend!"

"Why you!" She yelled as she gave chase. Taffyta screamed in fear when she saw the angry defender approaching. Heads turned to see the situation and gasped in horror. Mila's pursuit was cut off quickly as she felt somebody pull her back and pin her down.

"Mila! Stop! You should know better!" Chafu yelled as he restrained his raging sister.

She still refused to stay put. Vanellope ran up to Taffyta who had a smirk on her face. The young raven-haired girl stared down the racer, making her flinch. Then Vanellope turned to Mila and gave her the same stare. Her hazel eyes were full of what seemed to be rage, disappointment, and irritation.

"I'm not going to have this party ruined by a hothead and a bigmouth! Now be good girls and enjoy the night or I'll throw you _both _in the fungeon! Do I make myself _clear_?!" Vanellope's emphasis on the last word made both Mila and Taffyta flinch.

"Yes..." They both said in almost perfect unison.

Chafu let Mila go. Taffyta walked away with Vanellope, and the crowds resumed whatever they were doing. Mila rubbed her arm shamefully as she got up.

She felt her brother put a hand on her shoulder, "Hey...you might want to fix your hair."

"Why? Am I already embarrassed enough?" She groaned as she looked at him.

He gestured towards Ralph who was looking at Mila. She felt her cheeks warm up, and she shook her head to shake off the sugar dust.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds be." He pointed at Ralph, "Make sure he doesn't wreck your heart, ok?"

Mila softly laughed, "I'm sure he wouldn't do such a thing…"

Chafu walked away, satisfied that his sister will be safe.

"Looks like you're not the only one who yelled at those little gumdrops." Ralph chuckled as he approached her.

She unintentionally brushed her hair behind her ear, "Well, didn't you hear her? She was insulting my friend..."

"She did...well _they_ did much worse than that." He sighed, "All of them, even your friend, destroyed one of Vanellope's karts and pushed her into the mud..." He chuckled at himself, "Sure she stole my medal-"

"Your _medal_?" Mila got interested, "I don't think bad guys get medals...for anything really."

"Oh boy..." Ralph lightly facepalmed himself, "I got my medal from Hero's Duty when I got past Calhoun and her soldiers and-"

"Wait. You mean you _stole_ from their game?" She gasped.

"Yes..no! Ai yai yai...just pay attention."

"Ok...ok...why don't we sit down and talk..."

When they found gumdrops big enough to seat both of them not so far from the festival, Ralph continued telling his story, much to Mila's pleasure. He told that he stole the medal to prove he is good, how he met Vanellope and the deal they made...Mila paid attention and listened intently.

"I just wanted my medal...but when I saw her get all jumpy over the kart, I forget everything about that medal!" Ralph continued telling his story, "Then we got chased and we went into Vanellope's hideout...that was more like a dump..."

"A dump...?" She whispered.

"Yeah...nobody wanted to be her friend."

"And you became her friend...and then you saw that you didn't need a medal to be good."

"Yeah...yeah! That's pretty much what I learned..."

They both heard cheery violin from the festival. They looked to see partners dancing to the upbeat music. Mila remembered her first dance. Ralph and Mila exchanged glances for a couple seconds and then looked away when they blushed. Mila then suddenly placed her hand on top of Ralph's hand.

"Um..." Mila's words almost got stuck in her throat, "Ralph...will you dance with me...again?"

Ralph's cheeks seemed to turn more red, "Uh...yeah. Yeah! Sure..."

Their hearts beat faster when they stood up. They made their way towards the festival. As they walked, Ralph lightly held Mila's hand. The moment he held her hand her heart almost skipped a beat. She wanted to slip her hand out of his but couldn't help but let him keep it.

_"No...is he...the one?" _Mila thought as they began their awkward dance like the first time they danced, _"Why are you doing this, fluffbrain?! Bad guys don't get the girl!" _She found herself resting her head against Ralph's chest, _"No...he's not bad...not bad at all."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Melting the Snow**

Mila sat on a cold rock, looking into the shadowy forest with content in her eyes. Some bushes shifted with the movement of the devilish creatures. However, they showed no interest in eating away at the light, especially when the young defenders were there. Mila felt her brother's prescience when he sat by her.

"You know...I noticed that you were daydreaming sometimes when the player wasn't looking. Are you ok?" Chafu asked.

"Yeah…" She sighs happily, thinking about her dance with Ralph last night.

"Players were getting confused and one of the players almost told Litwak." He said, with a bit of wariness, "Are you sure you're ok? You weren't really yourself..."

"I'm ok, Chafu, really. You can go on and do whatever you want...I'll be fine." She gave him a light hug before deriving her attention to the forest.

"I'll stay here...if that's ok."

She nodded, still making sure no creature nibbled at the light. She thought about what he said...She _was_ daydreaming...about Ralph. If a gamer told Litwak about her odd behavior, their game could get unplugged and she definitely doesn't want to lose her home.

"C'mon. There's no frowning while I'm around." He ruffled her hair playfully as he got up.

She followed him into Game Central Station. They both told the Surge Protector their names and what game they came from, and then he dismissed them. Mila shuffled her feet nervously as she walked forward. She felt something small as she tripped and hit the ground.

"Ow..." Mila groaned as she got up.

A familiar voice cheered, "Mila!"

"Oh...hey Gloyd." She said with slight content in her voice.

"Coming to Sugar Rush? The racers are going snowboarding!"

"Oh uh..."

Mila took this to consideration. She can spend time with Ralph and Gloyd. From the corner of her eye, she could see Chafu giving her a thumbs up. She nodded, accepting his invitation. With great glee, the trio went into the candy go-kart game, after checking in with the Surge Protector. Luckily, Gloyd had his kart parked nearby the entrance. After introducing The Kernel to Chafu, the siblings secured themselves onto the kart.

"Get ready to rush!" Gloyd shouted.

He slammed his foot onto a pedal, making his kart shoot forward like a speeding bullet. Mila squealed in sheer happiness as she felt the adrenaline of racing again. The air turned cold and sugar snowflakes started to fall from white cotton candy clouds. The ground then turned from many colors to pure white, and then sloped upward. He stopped his kart and hopped out. Mila and Chafu landed on the pure white ice cream ground.

"You'll need these!" A kind high-pitched voice cheered. Mila looked down to see a girl Sugar Rush racer with winter clothing and light skin holding two winter coats, one blue and one red.

Mila recognized her from the race. "Oh thanks, Adorabeezle." She smiled as she slid her arms through the armholes.

She felt her brother nudge her. He gestured towards Ralph, who was having trouble putting on his winter coat. Some of the racers had to help him out while Vanellope giggled at the humorous sight. Mila couldn't help but smile as well. She gave a small yelp when she felt Gloyd jump onto her shoulder playfully. She turned to him as they met eye to eye.

"Awww you like Ralph, don't you?" The Halloween prankster teasingly said as he ruffled her hair.

Mila felt her cheeks becoming warm not with content but with embarrassment, "N-no." She stammered, "I don't like-like him. He's a good friend and all…"

"I saw you two dancing yesterday! Everybody was practically watching!...You didn't notice them watching?"

"No...I guess I was lost in the moment."

"Ok everybody! Follow me to the top of that hill!" Adorabeezle cheered as she lead the other racers, Wreck-It Ralph, and the two defenders. At the top of the hill, snowboards that were made specially for every individual character were waiting to be ridden on.

Mila smirked as she playfully nudged Gloyd, "I can get to the foot of this hill faster than you."

"You're on!" Gloyd smiled as he grabbed his Halloween-themed snowboard and Mila grabbed a blue-flame patterned board.

"Mila! Wait up!" Chafu called, but he was too late.

Mila was already speeding down the hill alongside Gloyd! "So this is what racing feels like…" She mutters. She took a glance at him, and saw that he was not willing to lose.

He looked at her and his eyes widened. "MILA LOOK OUT!"

Mila looked forward to see many candy trees ahead. She gasped as she tried stopping, but to no avail as the board heated up with her. The ice cream underneath her started to melt, making the road for her more slippery and dangerous. Mila thought fast as she jumped from her board and grabbed onto a branch. She sighed in relief that she did not get hurt badly. Her relief was short-lived however as the branch she held onto cracked.

"Oh no…"

Mila fell along with the broken branch! She did not feel the impact of the ground however as she felt Ralph catching her. She felt Ralph's body collide with her. They stumbled forward, breaking branches and making indents on the ground. They stopped when Ralph fell onto his back and Mila right on top of him. Opening their eyes, they got a good look at their faces, as they met face to face. Mila was the first to react. She got off him and brushed off the sweet snow off her coat.

She cleared her throat, "Thanks for helping me back there." She felt warmth coming to her cheeks.

"No problem..." Ralph replied as he stood up.

"MILA! Mila!" Two voices broke the awkward silence. She felt two bodies, one small and one big, tackle her.

"Oof!" She hit the ground with a puff.

Gloyd said as he wrapped his arms around Mila's shoulders, "You almost scared the code right out of me!"

"What in the name of stars has gotten into you?!" Chafu said as he held Mila in his arms.

Mila managed to squeak, "Guys I'm fine."

Chafu examined his sister warily, ignoring what she had just said, "You have a bruise? A scratch?" He lightly squeezed her arm, "Feel any pain?"

She lightly shook them both off, "I'm really fine..." She gestured towards Ralph, "Thanks to Ralph."

"Oh uh…" Ralph blushed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "It was nothing. I couldn't let her fall."

Mila smiled and stared at him for awhile, before snapping out of her romantic thoughts, "C'mon. Let's go." She stood up and made her way up the hill.

After going up and down the snowy sugary hills of Sugar Rush several times, everybody went their own way. Mila and Gloyd stood behind, making snow angels. Despite getting cold from the ice cream ground, Gloyd enjoyed playing time with Mila as much as pulling pranks on Rancis Fluggerbutter. Tired from playing, Mila laid on the snow and almost dozed off. She felt Gloyd hop onto her.

"C'mon sleepyhead! Wake up!" He teased playfully.

"Gloyd, give me just a minute to rest." She gave a small smile as she closed her eyes.

He gave her a playful smirk, "Yeah...heh. Then you would be dreaming about Ralph, am I right?"

Mila held her tongue, but could not hold back the warmth that reddened her cheeks.

"Awww! I knew it! You _do_ like him." He lightly pinched her cheek, "Mila and Ralph sittin' on a tree, k-i-s-s-i-" He was quickly interrupted when Mila stood up.

"It's just a little crush, that's all!" Mila said as she brushed the snow off her back.

"He's been blabbering about you practically every day! That ol' wrecker's been wanting to get to know you." An idea hit the racer's mind when Mila started to listen more intently to him, "I can get you two together."

"Wait what?" Mila was surprised.

"Hey I may not be Cupid, but I know he's itching for a date!"

"I...I don't know."

"What?"

Mila made her way down the hill, "I don't think I'm really ready…What if I hurt him or…?"

Gloyd followed her, "Aw you're still worried that you'll hurt him? C'mon, Mila! You wouldn't hurt a fly!"

Mila remembered when she almost burnt down Tapper and when she almost attacked Taffyta...two times that she almost hurt somebody, "Gloyd. I think you're wrong about that…"

"About…?" He was confused about her response.

She let out a sigh, releasing her negative thoughts with her breath, "Nevermind. So...what tricks do you have in your hat?" She tried to smile as she patted Gloyd's hat.

"Oh I don't have tricks, I got treats." He smiled.


End file.
